Off Topic: Investing in Your Career-Blog or Twitter Your Way to Success?

Time Magazine this week lists the #1 idea that is changing the world today is investing in your career, i.e. hold on to your job. Put yet another way, be careful what you say and how you say as it may impact how others in the workplace judge your performance.

In the Web 2.0 world, some pundits suggest that in order to enhance your "brand" you should start blogging, get your name out there and network your way to success, Twitter-style.

These are, in fact, conflicting sets of advice. If you or your company is using Twitter to enhance your web presence and business contacts, you may want to think twice. InformationWeek suggests that recent statistics captured by Hitwise paints Twitter as simply setting up as just a social conduit rather than posses any business value. I think the jury is still out on Twitter. I think most businesses find it an annoying necessity and its value just as perplexing as starting the corporate blog. Only time will tell what has true value and what was a waste of time.

I would not get too hung up just yet on how many people are "following" you on Twitter or your blog traffic. By the same token, the people that have a direct impact on your career are following you.

It may be that the tried and true method of face to face contact is still the best investment in your "brand" and the path toward making the right impression with your boss; conferences and direct meetings still the best networking activity, and picking up the phone and actually talking to someone, the best means of truly communicating.